'Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy': New doc looks at the life, career and struggles of the Prince of Darkness
The revered Godfather of heavy metal, Ozzy Osbourne, will be the subject of a new documentary by A&E as part of its 'Biography' series. The new film is called 'Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy' and is scheduled for a spring premiere at the South by Southwest festival, which will be held on March 13-22. It promises a revealing, comprehensive look at the dark, eventful, and storied life of the reigning Prince of Darkness, whose fame and celebrity status has now hit mythic proportions.
The in-depth, 86-minute-long biography, will chronicle the journey of the legendary Black Sabbath singer through different stages of his life, from his childhood and heavy metal heyday to his even bigger solo stardom and reality TV fame.
“He left one of the biggest rock bands in the world and became bigger ... A credible artist on his own, finding great new talent. And then made it huge on TV,” his wife and long-time manager Sharon revealed. “Nobody had done that.”
Ozzy, his wife Sharon and son Jack Osbourne are credited as the executive producers of this feature, while the former 'Osbournes' producer Greg Johnston has directed it. The documentary is also peppered with famous musical icons talking about the impact that Ozzy Osbourne had on their lives and their continuing fascination with the revered 71-year-old singer, who has been active for more than half a century in the music industry.
“I use the talent of making people feel somewhat entertained when I was goofing around. To take it onstage with my music, I suppose, is the same kind of thing,” says Ozzy Osbourne in one of many candid and introspective moments in the biopic. The singer himself admits that "there's a wild man in everybody" and that he had a "split-personality" - with Ozzy Osbourne and John Osbourne (his birth name) being two different personas altogether.
The new trailer for 'Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy' shows the immortal Iron Man reminiscing about his fear-filled childhood, how he discovered drugs and other intoxicants as a means of escape at an early age, which consequently led to him acting like a clown during his rock star days. It also features footage that showcases his mega-successful solo artiste career. The nearly-three-minute trailer also features commentary from Kelly, Sharon, and Jack Osbourne, along with shock metal legends like Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie. '90s music icons like Ice-T and Korn's Jonathan Davis are also seen paying tribute to the Overlord of Ozzfest.
And the accolades just keep on coming, from fans both young and old. “I don’t know what music would be like if it weren’t for the influence of Ozzy,” admits music mogul Rick Rubin, in awe of the fact that “Ozzy changed everything” in the music industry when he burst onto the scene as a pioneer of an entirely new genre of music.
“I think Ozzy’s music is timeless,” says one of his most recent collaborators, Post Malone, who confesses that “it makes me cry and gives me the chills.” Post Malone collaborated with Osbourne and Travis Scott on the track 'Take What You Want' in 2019'. It was that fateful collaboration that eventually led to the 'I Don't Wanna Stop' singer meeting Malone's producer, Andrew Watt, who sparked the genesis of Ozzy's highly-anticipated new album, which will release on February 21, 2020.
Ozzy's upcoming album, 'Ordinary Man', has already netted him a No.1 smash hit in 'Under The Graveyard' and features collaborations with music icons like Elton John, Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Duff McKagan (Guns N' Roses). But if his life and body of work have taught us anything at all, it's that Ozzy Osbourne is no "ordinary man!" And this new documentary, 'Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy' is guaranteed to set that status in stone.